Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky Kept Off Olympic Qualifier Team

Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky Kept Off Olympic Qualifier Team

The roster for the Slovak Olympic Qualifier Team was announced early this morning and there’s a notable name missing from the list: Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky.

The news was first reported by Slovak journalist Tomas Prokop on his X account. The reason behind Slafkovsky’s absence is due to Montreal not releasing the forward to participate in the tournament.

There is also this quote from Slovak GM Miroslav Satan. The post has been translated to English from Slovak:

“After communication with the players, which was sometimes difficult, and after communication with the GM of their clubs, the decision was made that they (Juraj Slafkovsky and Erik Cernak) would not come."

Slafkovsky made headlines this Summer after he signed an eight-year contract extension valued at $60.8 M or $7.6 M AAV. During the media period following the news, the attacker was asked about his participation in the Olympic qualifiers. He responded by saying:

“I’m not sure what Montreal is going to decide because it’s close to the season. I’ll do whatever they feel is best for me to do… I mean for sure I always represent my country and yeah we want to get to the Olympics. So, for sure, but yeah, I don’t feel like that’s my call.”

Slafkovsky’s Olympic showing at the 2022 Beijing Games is what allowed him to rise in that year’s draft. He led his team to their first-ever Olympic medal for ice hockey, capturing bronze. Not only did the young forward lead his team in scoring with seven goals in seven games but he was also named tournament MVP for his performance. 

This article has been updated to match recent developments

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